Planar and OptiTrack demonstrate new broadcasting technology at NAB 2024

Today, Planar, a global leader in visualization technology, and affiliate company OptiTrack, the worldwide leader in 3D tracking systems, announced the companies will demonstrate their most comprehensive lineup of industry-leading broadcast and media technologies at the 2024 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show.

From award-winning LED platforms and cutting-edge indoor and outdoor fine pitch LED display solutions delivering unrivaled on-camera performance to pioneering technology demonstrations, Planar will showcase the latest advancements for next-level broadcast presentation and storytelling. This presentation will be strengthened by OptiTrack’s motion capture software and wide range of motion capture cameras delivering unprecedented accuracy.

“Planar is a longtime leader in broadcast and media with major display technology adoption from studios all over the world,” said Tom Petershack, director of media and special projects at Planar. “This is supported by our dedicated team of broadcast professionals and state-of-the-art visualization technologies that not only look remarkable on-camera, but also stand the test of time. This year at NAB, Planar and OptiTrack are presenting our most diverse lineup of display and motion capture tracking technologies for enhanced storytelling, reinforcing our commitment to innovation to better support our customers’ needs and creating new, one-of-a-kind deployments that captivate audiences.”

Cutting-Edge Indoor and Outdoor LED Solutions for Unrivaled On-Camera Performance

At NAB 2024, Planar will demonstrate unmatched on-camera performance with the award-winning Planar® DirectLight® Pro Series. Featuring a range of popular pixel pitches down to sub-1 millimeter and 1,000-nit brightness in constant operation, Planar DirectLight Pro Series video walls deliver the vibrant colors and greater image detail studios need even in higher ambient light environments. This is enhanced by support for rich media playback, including High Dynamic Range (HDR).

The solution also offers high bandwidth (5G) video architecture and 27-inch and 36-inch cabinets to allow for precision and simpler, more easily supported video walls. In addition to enabling custom dimensions and resolutions, Planar DirectLight Pro Series is compatible with the industry-respected Planar® WallDirector™ Video Controller as well as Brompton’s renowned, specialized controllers and ColorLight’s wide range of controllers, which will be featured at the show. This results in unmatched deployment versatility and flexibility to accommodate a wide array of studio and on-camera set installation needs such as tilts, 90-degree corners and faceted curves. With the unprecedented Planar® EverCare™ Lifetime Limited Warranty, customers receive comprehensive product coverage from controller to sub-pixel and every component in between.

Planar will showcase additional curved capabilities for broadcast with the popular Planar® CarbonLight™ CLI Flex Series line of pliable LED video wall displays. In partnership with TSI Touch, a leading manufacturer of touch screen and protective solutions for commercial-grade displays, the company will present an interactive, curved Planar CarbonLight CLI Flex Series LED video wall in a 0.9 millimeter pixel pitch utilizing MicroLED, providing attendees with an innovative touch experience that changes the status quo in enhancing broadcast presentation and captivating audiences with interactive technology. The video wall will also feature Planar® ERO-LED+™ (Extended Ruggedness and Optics) technology.

In addition to providing the visual performance viewers expect, Planar CarbonLight CLI Flex Series offers a more visually appealing alternative to faceting flat LED cabinets into segmented curves. Ideal for curved or column wrap applications, Planar CarbonLight CLI Flex Series bendable LED modules are available in 0.9, 1.3, 1.5, 1.9, 2.6 and 3.9 millimeter pixel pitches and can bend into convex or concave curves as tight as 25 inches or 637 millimeters.

In response to industry demand for outdoor broadcast sets, Planar will also demonstrate the Leyard® MGS Series line of outdoor 16:9 fine pitch MicroLED video wall displays. Featuring pixel pitches ranging from 1.2 to 2.0 millimeters, support for HDR content and up to 4,000-nit brightness, the series delivers spectacular on-camera performance and is IP65 rated to withstand harsh outdoor environments and ambient conditions. In addition to a lightweight aluminum structure, the displays include energy-saving cooling structure, redundant power/data backup and waterproof Glue on Board (GOB) technology.

Virtual Production Studio Producing Compelling, Lifelike Content for Broadcast and Storytelling

Planar and OptiTrack are also teaming up with integrated virtual production and pre-production motion graphics solutions leader, Zero Density, presenting NAB attendees with an eye-catching virtual production studio for next-level storytelling with the following elements:

• OptiTrack® PrimeX Motion Capture Cameras: Delivering the perfect blend of range, speed and field-of-view for studio environments, OptiTrack premium PrimeX cameras showcase precise 3D video camera tracking for smooth on-screen content without parallax error. With the new PrimeX 120, PrimeX 120W and SlimX 120, users benefit from OptiTrack’s highest resolution, most-advanced motion capture cameras. Featuring 12 megapixels and increased field-of-view, the cameras enable larger tracking areas for a wider variety of large virtual production studios or volumes.
• OptiTrack® Motive 3.1 Motion Capture Software: The latest version of OptiTrack’s proprietary motion capture software simplifies high-quality, low-latency performance motion tracking. Motive 3.1 is compatible with all OptiTrack motion capture cameras with new features including trained markersets for tracking markerless objects, refined sensor fusion and continuous calibration in case of camera bumps.
• OptiTrack® CinePuck: The purpose-built, active marker tracking tool for studios, CinePuck mounts directly to cinema or broadcast cameras, enabling studios to know the camera’s movement and continuous field-of-view with leading-edge tracking accuracy and precision. CinePuck can be seamlessly integrated into any production workflows, including crowded rigging configurations.
• A Planar® Venue Pro™ VX Series LED Video Wall in a 1.9 millimeter pixel pitch designed to revolutionize the production of recorded, streamed and broadcast video content as well as deliver unrivaled on-camera and in-camera performance.

Planar and OptiTrack will also be demonstrating the companies’ virtual production extended reality capabilities in Zero Density’s Booth #SL2038.

Industry-Leading Display Demonstrations

Planar will showcase the company’s support for various processing platforms with a technology demonstration featuring the Planar Venue Pro VX Series and Planar® CarbonLight™ CLI VX Series indoor LED video wall displays designed to deliver exceptional on-camera visual properties and deployment versatility.

Planar is setting new industry standards in LED and LCD display monitoring capabilities. The company will share a technology preview of a user-friendly, web-based tool designed to monitor and present display health results such as heat and power supply health and pixel-level monitoring. This allows for easier ongoing maintenance or expedited support when needed.

NAB attendees can experience Planar and OptiTrack’s extensive collection of industry-leading display and motion capture tracking technologies in Booth #SL2030 April 14-17 in Las Vegas. Experienced sales and applications engineers will also be on site to speak to the companies’ decades of leadership in broadcast and media.
BCS Bureau